The Sprout

Lorry ablaze by Tesco on 19th April

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Issue 157 May 2021

The Sprout

The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley

Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, John Clements,

Michael Cockman, Ag MacKeith, Robin Palmer

Editor

Ag MacKeith

South View House, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk

Advertising Manager

Michael Cockman

50, St Paul's Crescent OX2 9AG Tel: 07766 317691 Adverts@TheSprout.org.uk

Deliveries

Bhee Bellew and Robin Cox

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Copy Date: Copy by 15th of month preceding publication. Earlier submission is

welcome. Later contributions may have to be held over to the next issue.

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Subscriptions: If you live outside North Hinksey Parish you can still receive The

Sprout on a regular basis. Just take out a postal subscription – only £12 per annum,

delivered to your door. Contact: Carol Kramer 01865 243002.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information printed in this

newsletter, mistakes may happen. The Editor and Team apologize unreservedly for

any errors that may occur and will do their best to correct them. This publication is not

a vehicle of the parish council, and parish councillors working with the Sprout do so in

a personal capacity. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the individual

contributors.

All concerned in the production and delivery of The Sprout are unpaid volunteers.

The Sprout is printed by Dataprint Ltd, and published by North

Hinksey Parish Publications Ltd, (a company limited by

guarantee) Registration No. 05609535.

It can also be found online at BotleyHinksey.org.uk

The Sprout

Issue 157, May 2021

Contents

3 Letters to the Editor

5 Social Prescribing

9 Hedgehog Awareness Week

11 Neighbourhood Plan etc

15 Minns Memorial garden

19 Meet… Clare Sykes

25 Home Camping

29 Skatepark – get on board!

31 Bringing on Great Writers

33 Tackle Weight Gain

35 Kennington Memory Club

36 New Homes for Birds

37 Botley in Bloom

38 Randoms

38 Planning applicaions

39 Local organizations

From the Editor

What happens in May? Well, Hedgehog Awareness Week, for a

start (p9) and Oxford Artweeks start on 9th May, with Botley

featured on sites 67–70 – see last month for details. Local elections

coming up on 6th May, when we will also get a chance to vote on

the Neighbourhood Plan, seven years in the making and finished at

last (p11). Kennington Memory Club is opening at last, giving

sufferers from dementia and their carers a welcome break (p35).

The Annual Parish Meeting on March 19th revealed two exciting

initiatives – the long-anticipated Skatepark, and a chance to

brighten up the dreary A34 flyover. If you’d like to be involved, get

in touch (p29). The Parish Council has been busy – on page 15

there’s an account of the refurbished Minns Memorial Garden in

North Hinksey Lane, and on page 36 of the newly installed bird-

boxes in Hutchcomb Copse, which are looking for people to adopt

them. Could you be one of them? And how are your plans for your

front garden? Will it get gold stars from Botley in Bloom this year?

(p37) Lots going on then, all this and more, and you can read all

about it in your favourite local magazine.

Ag MacKeith

Letters to the Editor

To My Patients at Botley Medical Centre

I wanted to write to you all: to thank you, say goodbye, and wish you

all the best.

I apologise I did not have the opportunity to inform you in advance of

my departure from the practice, which was rather sudden.

I was sad to have to leave the practice, and I will miss working there.

The decision to leave was entirely mine; my reasons were

professional, and arose through no fault of my own. I wish the best

for the practice.

Thank you for the warm reception you gave me, and for entrusting

me with your care. I remain a member of the local community.

Best wishes,

Dr Simon Clough

Oxfordshire Social Prescribing Strategy

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) is putting

together a Social Prescribing Strategy for Oxfordshire. We are

seeking views and feedback from a variety of stakeholders –

providers; voluntary organisations; GP Practice staff; Link Workers;

Healthwatch Oxfordshire; and patients and patient groups – to help

shape the strategy.

What is Social Prescribing?

Social prescribing is a means of referring people to a range of local,

non-clinical services. The referrals generally, but not exclusively,

come from professionals working in primary care settings, for

example, GPs or Practice Nurses. Other agencies can also refer, or

people can refer themselves.

Social prescribing is designed to support people with a wide range of

social, emotional or practical needs. Those who could benefit

include people with mild or long-term mental health problems;

people who have complex needs; people who are socially isolated

and people with long-term conditions who frequently attend health

care services.

The key aspect of social prescribing is that people are referred to a

Link Worker, who will discuss with the person what is important to

them or the problem they need to address. The Link Worker can tell

them what options are available and refer them to an organisation or

activity that can help them. Link Workers may also be known by

other names, such as ‘Community Navigator’, for instance, but they

perform the same role. The activities available tend to be provided

by voluntary and community sector organisations. Some examples

include volunteering, arts activities, gardening, befriending, cookery,

lunch clubs as well as a range of physical activities.

We are seeking your help to develop the strategy

Oxfordshire has a diverse range of social prescribing approaches

which reflect local needs. The aim of the strategy is not only to

describe the current picture and to highlight best practice, but to

identify issues and gaps and what could be improved and how. It is

also to set out a five-year vision of what social prescribing should

look like in order to set up appropriate funding and resources.

We welcome feedback and input to shape the strategy.

Some points to consider:

Ø Is there a social prescribing service provided by your local

Primary Care Network ?

Ø If so, do you know who the Link Worker is? Have they linked

with your local Practice or the Patients Participation Group?

Have you heard any patient feedback?

Ø If there isn’t a social prescribing service, should there be?

Ø Have you, or a relative or friend, had experience of being

supported through social prescribing? Did it help?

Ø How would you like social prescribing to develop?

These are just some examples. We would like to hear any other

ideas/ suggestions and feedback. Please contact Maggie James,

Equality & Access Manager at OCCG via email at:

Maggie.james2@nhs.net or via telephone on 07769 307054

Chris Sugden, Botley and Kennington PPG

Hedgehog Awareness Week 2021

This year’s Hedgehog Awareness week is from 2nd to 8th May and

as in previous years, I'm writing as a member of the British

Hedgehog Preservation Society to encourage Sprout readers to get

involved in measures to protect our declining hedgehog population.

There are two main ways in which you can help.

Ø Add to the Botley hedgehog

highway. By creating a 15cm square

hole in your fence you can make a

vital difference in allowing hedgehogs

to roam freely to find food and mates.

This is particularly important if you

have installed a new fence recently or

moved into a property with new

fencing where established roaming

routes might have been disrupted. If

you create such a hole and email me

a photo, I will be pleased to send you

a ‘Hedgehog Highway’ plaque to mark the spot (pictured).

Ø Add a driver-awareness sticker to your wheelie bin to

reduce hedgehog roadkill. There are

growing numbers of ‘Hedgehog Crossing’

signs now visible on Sprout readers’

wheelie bins so that drivers (on bin nights

at least) are alerted to watch out for

hedgehog crossing points. This is

particularly important in the current period

of traffic diversions into Arthray,

Hutchcomb and Hurst Rise roads which

are known to be hedgehog crossing

points. If you are willing to add a sticker to

your wheelie bin (pictured) please email

me on roger.dalrymple@spc.oxon.org

and I will be pleased to post one to you.

Thank you for your support in preserving our hedgehog population.

Roger Dalrymple, British Hedgehog Preservation Society

Having your say:

Neighbourhood Plan referendum and more ….

As the Parish Council moves forward into a new administrative year,

and the country gradually moves out of lockdown there are changes

afoot.

Alongside the County Council elections on May 6th, there will be an

important referendum on our Neighbourhood Plan, which has been

on hold for the past year because of Covid-19 restrictions. This is

your chance to answer a simple yes or no question on whether the

policies in the Plan should be implemented alongside the Vale’s

Local Plan as part of the legislation that all local planning

applications have to adhere to.

In addition to measures aimed at countering inappropriate housing

proposals, the Plan includes important policies that provide

protection for our local green spaces and community infrastructure,

and stricter regulations aimed at helping to counter climate change.

Further information can be

found on our website at

www.northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

including a link to the Vale’s

website where the Plan can be

downloaded.

This is an important

opportunity for you to help

introduce policies that reflect

the wishes and needs of our

local community, and in

addition will have a positive

impact on all of our lives.

Please make sure that you

vote in this referendum on May

6th.

There is also a chance

throughout May to vote in an

online poll being run by our

Parish Council in support of a

campaign to introduce a 20 mph speed limit on all residential roads

throughout the Parish. The question being asked in our poll is simply

“Should North Hinksey Parish be a 20mph zone?” When this

proposal was discussed in the recent Annual Parish Meeting an

impressive 92% of attendees voted in favour, so we now want to find

out if that enthusiasm is reflected across all local residents. Look out

for details on our website, and find out more about the national ’20 is

plenty’ campaign at www.20splenty.org

The wording of a motion on another issue raised at the Annual

Parish Meeting relating to the former Scout Hut was not agreed by

the meeting attendees. As a result the Vale have adjudicated that a

subsequent Parish Poll requested in the meeting will not take place.

Finally, some news about changes to the way we hold Parish

Council meetings. As things stand it looks like the Government are

not going to extend the current legislation that allows us to hold

meetings online, which means that we would have to return to

physical face-to-face meetings from 7th May. Like many Councils we

are not in favour of this, and would prefer that the option of holding

online or hybrid meetings is continued. However we will have to

await the outcome of a review to learn the final decision. Our

website will have up-to-date information about public access to

meetings and their rescheduling, as there is likely to be an interim

period through to the end of June as we establish a new structure to

allow us to continue to work effectively.

David Kay, Chair, North Hinksey Parish Council

Minns Memorial Garden

In the NHPC survey of

Botley’s green spaces,

the Minns garden in the

North Hinksey Lane

nature reserve got a bad

press. For most of last

summer it was the haunt

of a band of genial old

drunks, who made it their

home from first thing in

the morning till last thing

at night. If you stopped to

chat they were quite

welcoming, but their

presence was a real

disincentive for anyone

who might have wanted

to sit and enjoy a few

peaceful moments in the

sun. And the litter and

mess were something else! Kevin Minns had funded the original

garden as a memorial to his grandfather, whose firm had built much

of Elms Rise. When it got overgrown he gave the PC some money

to get it back into shape, and we were keen to spend it. But the hot

weather, the lockdown, and the constant occupation meant that we

couldn’t manage to get started. There didn’t seem to be any way of

reclaiming the space, until a simple solution presented itself: the

benches were in a bad state

and needed to be refurbished.

Taking them away magically

removed the attraction, and

the garden was ours again.

Over the winter we were able

to get it cleared, and it has

now been planted with shrubs

that should provide flowers

and scent all the year round: winter-flowering honeysuckle and wych

hazel in the winter; bulbs and japonica in the spring; summer flowers

like roses, mock orange blossom and lace-cap hydrangea, and

autumn berries and colourful leaves from red currants and

pyracantha. A double row of lavender bushes lines the path, and

there will be a rosemary bush in the round bed in the centre. We are

waiting for a suitable moment to restore the benches – not sure yet

when that might be!

The Nature Reserve itself consists of the garden, the wildflower

meadow with its pond and ditch, and the Community Orchard. The

orchard blossom is just coming out, the pond has tadpoles and

kingcups, and so far there are cowslips and wild daffodils in the

meadow. The plan is to plant riverside plants like purple loosestrife

and monkey flower along the banks of the ditch, currently full of

watercress, and yellow rattle has been sown in the orchard to

encourage the flowers by restricting the grass. Do come and visit –

it’s there for everyone.

We’ve done our best to make this public space wildlife friendly.

Roselle Chapman of Wild Oxfordshire has tips to apply at home:

Ø maximise the biodiversity of your garden to ensure a healthy web

of predator and prey, which means that the critters you don’t

want around (eg, aphids) will be taken care of by their natural

predators (eg, parasitic wasps). If you use chemicals to kill

aphids, the wasps will be killed too!

Ø your lawn doesn’t need to be carpet-perfect (unless you are a

bowling or golf club!). If you leave the moss it will keep in the

moisture so you don’t have to water it so often, and if you don’t

cut it so short and allow clover, daisies and dandelions to flourish

you will be providing welcome food for pollinators.

Ø everyone who buys flowers to feed bees and other pollinators

that visit their garden will be gutted to realise that those flowers

(often marketed as ‘bee-friendly’) will be a poisoned chalice if

they contain pesticides. In the Great British Bee Count of 2018

there was much media coverage of the issue of neonicotinoids.

In response to this, B&Q and other retailers stopped suppliers

from using neonics. But other pesticides that are very harmful to

pollinators are still legal. The problem has not gone away. So be

careful who you buy from. There are plenty of organic bulb and

plant suppliers to choose from.

Ø Also make sure that everything has been grown in peat-free

compost, because peat acts as a carbon store, it’s a great habi-

tat for wildlife, it has a role in water management, and preserves

things well for archaeology. And it’s finite – we don’t want to use

it all up!

More here: //www.wildoxfordshire.org.uk/communities/resources

The Parish Council’s Environment Committee, set up in response to

the climate crisis, is looking at ways of greening Botley. There will be

more on the ideas arising from the recent Green online workshop in

next month’s Sprout.

Judi Bolder, NHPC Allotment Committee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meet… Clare Sykes

Officially, Reverend Clare Sykes is

Rector of the Benefice of Osney,

and is responsible for the churches

of St Peter & St Paul (West Way),

St Lawrence (North Hinksey

Lane), St Frideswide (Botley

Road), and St Margaret of Antioch

(Binsey). Less officially, Clare is

the lovely woman who walks her

whippets Poppy and Fizz – the

‘Holy Dogs’ – around the

neighbourhood, stopping to talk to

people on the way; and who has a

large camper van in her drive. I

talked to Clare about how she

ended up in Botley, and the pains

and pleasures of her job.

Clare grew up near High Wycombe, and became a Christian when

she was 14 years old. In her early 20s, she started thinking that she

might have a vocation in the church. At the time, women couldn’t

get ordained: but time passed, and women were ordained as

deacons in 1985, as priests in 1994, and finally as bishops in 2015.

All Church of England clergy start as deacons, many go on to

become priests, and some to become bishops. Clare was ordained

as a deacon in Hereford Diocese in 1996, and as a priest in 1997.

Clare, moved to Oxford with her family in 2012. Oxford was closer

to parents, and besides, they wanted to be somewhere more

cosmopolitan. Clare remembers coming to Oxford on the bus as a

teenager, visiting the shops and going punting, so Oxford also felt

familiar.

Clare’s first priority after moving here was to bring her two parishes

– North Hinksey with Botley, and St Frideswide with Binsey –

together more, and make all four churches functional, with good

quality public worship, organised administration, and active church

members. That has now been done, and she is concentrating on

helping the churches be more outward-facing: not just perceived as

little groups of people who meet on Sunday mornings, but open to

the entire community.

One interesting aspect of the CofE is that it is, by law, a public good

which serves the whole community, not just the people who go to

church. Everyone who lives within the ecclesiastical parish

boundaries has a legal right to be baptised, married and have a

funeral in the church, and to be buried there if there is space. In

contrast, churches that are not CofE are only responsible for their

own congregations. So, for instance, every December Clare runs a

memorial service for people who have been bereaved over the

course of the previous year. She also provides memorial services,

for instance for Eleanor, the lady who lived by Seacourt Stream. and

died a couple of years ago.

Organisational objectives tend to be dry reading, but Clare gives

good examples of how the CofE’s objectives affect what she does:

Ø Pastoral – Looking after people who need support, exercising

love and praying for the community.

Ø !

Ø Social – Supporting the social life of the parish. For Clare, this

includes providing a venue for the Botley Community Arts

Project, the community fridge and the community larder, wel-

coming North Hinksey Primary school into St Lawrence for

weekly collective worship.!

Ø Evangelistic – Sharing the message of Jesus, the good news of

the Gospel, both through services and in day-to-day inter-

actions. The churches will be open on Sundays from Easter

Sunday, and during the week from June or July. !

Ø Ecumenical – Co-operating with local churches: the Roman

Catholic church on Yarnells Hill, Baptist church in West Way,

Calvary Church which meets in Botley School, Kings Church on

Osney Mead, and Elim Pentecostal Church on the Botley Road.!

“I love my job and I’m never bored,” says Clare, “but it is very

unboundaried. The church’s overall mission is ‘loving God and

loving our neighbour’. There is always much more that could be

done than is physically possible.” The rapidly-changing context of

the Botley area is hard to deal with. The number of homes on West

Way has almost doubled in the time that Clare has been here,

homelessness has been rising, the West Way development has

gone on during the entire time that she has been the local priest,

and of course dealing with Covid has been difficult.

In the immediate future, Clare plans to reopen the church buildings

and get the church’s activities going again, and she thinks lots of

pastoral work will be needed. The church has a clear role to be

there for everyone: “We have been through such a tumultuous time

that, as a wider community, we need to pay attention to our spiritual

care, and I am trained in that.

Also, when the churches

reopen, there will be a sacred

space that people can go into.

We live in such a frenetic

society, which is so busy with

traffic and people, that to have

a public space that people can

just retreat to is tremendously

valuable.” Riki Therivel

Oxford XVth – Home Camping

As national restrictions ease,

here at the 15th Oxford

Scouts, our plans are ramping

up for a Spring and Summer

of outdoor activities,

culminating hopefully in our

annual Summer Camp

residential. Whilst overnight

stays are not currently

allowed, that didn’t stop us

running a Virtual Spring Camp

at Home for our Cubs and

Scouts over the Easter

Weekend. The emphasis was

on den building and sleeping

somewhere unusual, all from the comfort of their own home, with

less of the home comforts, if you know what I mean. Between the

comfortable, or uncomfortable, overnight sleeps there was plenty

more to do to fill the days.

Friday saw digital escape rooms, a navigational Pac-man game

based on map symbols, an online puzzle, and an eating challenge.

There was no let-up on

Saturday as everybody

had 24 hours to

complete up to 40 mini

tasks, with notable

entries of building

towers, learning

languages, telling jokes,

balancing biscuits, juggling, making hats, upside down photos, using

morse code (just as much fun as ever, see photo) and singing

campfire songs.

On to Easter Sunday, an egg-based day of course, which saw us all

egg-decorating, hunting Easter eggs, making eggy bread and other

eggs-periments, egg and spoon races, and eating your body weight

in chocolate (or maybe that was just the leaders?!) Virtual camp

ended with a series of badge-focussed activities that taught and

explored key Scouting values. They were a series of ‘How to’ tasks

that covered;

Ø Air Activities – Star Wars Origami and RAF Paper Plane

Ø Chef – Constellation cookies and Armpit Rocky Road

Ø Craft – Duct tape wallet and Wooden Stand

Ø Creative – Mini pioneering and Build a Space Station

Ø Nature – Build a bug hotel and Make a bird feeder

Ø Science – Foil boats and Parachutes

All this is just a taste of what we get up to on our regular Friday night

meetings and camps. By the time you read this we will have

hopefully been meeting face-to-face for a couple of weeks, with a St

George’s day Dragon wide-game and Among Us wide-game already

planned (wide-game being the term for a game played over, you

guessed it, a large area like Raleigh Park or Louis Memorial Fields).

Spaces are filling up quickly to join us so if any of this sounds like

something an 8 to 18 year old you know would like to get involved

in. You can email us on XVOxfordScouts@yahoo.co.uk or check

out our website https://sites.google.com/site/15thoxfordscouts/

Tom Freeman

Skatepark and Art projects need YOU

On 18th March over 100 people attended the North Hinksey Parish

Council Annual Public Meeting online to hear updates on some

major projects in and around the Parish. Two of those projects

involved the creation of new working groups of members of the

public and it’s not too late to get involved:

Skatepark working group

We have set up a working group to help deliver on our key objective

of "Engaging young people in the design and provision of a skate

park.” By the time you read this, people who have already come

forward will have been invited to join the Recreation & Amenities

Committee meeting online on 29th April where the remit of the

Working Group and its Council members will be agreed. But you can

still join after this date. We want enthusiastic skaters, parents and

supporters to get involved. Look out for details on our website and

Facebook page or find out more about how to join the working group

from Cllr Caroline Potter: Cllr.caroline.potter@gmail.com

Mural working group:

We are also looking for members of the public to join Councillors

working with local artists on planning a mural for the main entrance

to Botley: the pedestrian, cycle and traffic route under the A34

bridge over West Way. This is your chance to get involved in

transforming a tired and drab area into a vibrant gateway to Botley

and the west of Oxford, helping to improve the perception of our

community and cheer up commuters, locals and visitors for years to

come.

This is just one part of a public art project for the West Way Square

shopping and residential area, made possible by Section 106 money

earmarked for public art in and around the new development. We

need enthusiastic people to help us work with commissioned artists,

the public, and Highways England, and to fundraise for more money

to extend and maintain the project in future years. To join please

contact Cllr Laura Jones: NHPCLauraJones@gmail.com

Updates on these and other projects can be found on the Parish

Council website at https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/

Lorna Berrett , North Hinksey Parish Council

Bringing on Great Writers

There are always challenges on our learning journeys, both for the

children and the staff, and our mission to create great writers has

been part of a team effort this year! Back in September the

teachers looked at how we could help our children become lively,

enthusiastic writers. How could we instil a love of words and an

enjoyment in creating writing? We thought hard about where to

focus our teaching, where to scaffold and support the children’s

needs. The thing we all love about Botley School is the wide range

of languages spoken, beliefs, cultures, etc, all coming together to

create our community. We took this as our inspiration and

challenged our staff to find writing opportunities in all areas of the

curriculum. We looked at the skills needed, we modelled our writing

on good texts and examples, we developed skills and vocabulary.

When we set the challenge we had not

anticipated yet another lockdown, with

partial opening and remote teaching.

But, despite the hurdles, the children

have done well and we are confidently

creating successful writers for the real

world. Much credit goes to the staff

teams in each school year group, and

thanks, too, to the parents who

supported children’s online lessons.

Here are a couple of examples from all

those displayed around the school at the

moment. We are looking forward to the

day when we can welcome people back

into school to see all the amazing writing

the children are doing.

Jo Reid, Headteacher

[The Sprout format can hardly do justice to the examples shown, but

we can give you some idea. Catherine (Yr 1) wrote the first with ink

and a quill as Samuel Pepys, observing the great fire of London in

1666. The cartoon, by Kiko (Yr 5), is a lively account of the formation

of a fish fossil found in Lime Regis by Mary Anning. Its wit, humour,

clarity and precision are striking, and we have given it a full page so

you can appreciate it properly. Ed]

Tackle weight gain during lockdown!

As we mark the anniversary of the Covid pandemic, we can reflect

on all the things we have lost: freedom, jobs, friends, people, and

hugs, to name a few. We have gained things too: more time with

children and partners, some perspective on what’s really important

and, for many of us, weight. In fact, latest statistics show that 47% of

people in the UK claim to have gained weight in the last year.

As the roadmap to freedom plays out, many of us will stand in front

of our wardrobes, wondering what we will wear when it gets warmer,

or if we are invited to attend a social gathering. This induces anxiety,

which in turn makes the thought of losing weight very daunting.

Remember, we are still in a pandemic and we are emotionally

fatigued. Trying to lose weight now is really tough. So see this time

as an opportunity to do things differently. Yo-yo dieting often occurs

because people start from a place of not liking their bodies. How

about instead of criticising yourself, you look in the mirror and say,

“It’s ok. You have been through a lot this year. I see that you used

food and drink as a comfort and that’s OK. I love you; I’ve got you

and I am going to do my best to slowly get you back to where you

were. You are amazing, strong, brave, and beautiful. You survived.”

Allow yourself a glimpse into the future at a healthier version of you.

What will your lifestyle look like? What needs to change to get

there? Take one or a few things at a time. Some ideas include:

Ø if you enjoy a glass of wine, drink it only on the weekend!

Ø switch your evening snacking to healthier options!

Ø restart that yoga class!

Ø work on your mental health!

Ø begin mindfulness!

Ø download the Couch to 5K app!

Ø snack less!

Ø buy extra veggies and fill up more of your plate!

Ø reach out to a friend for support or maybe get a fitness or

health coach involved. !

You can’t do it all at once, but your body and soul will thank you for

taking the first step. Change that voice in your head, maybe right

now it will be enough to help you make a start.

Claire Cattel, Mindset Coach

KENNINGTON MEMORY CLUB WILL RE-OPEN

ON MONDAY MAY 10TH.

Social distancing Initially there will be fewer members attending

than in normal times, to allow for the social distancing required.

There will be some other changes from before Covid, but the

welcome will be as warm, the activities will be as stimulating, and

the change of scene will be appreciated by members.

Helpers Initially there will be no volunteer helpers, so everyone

within the building will be protected by the COVID vaccine. There will

also be all the necessary infection control procedures in place, so

members and their families can have confidence that they are as

safe as they possibly can be when at the Day Centre.

Members As restrictions are eased the number of members at each

session will go up again, so more people with a diagnosis of

dementia will be able to benefit from the Day Centre sessions, and

more carers will get respite from their 24/7 responsibilities. We

would like to invite potential members, their families or carers to get

in touch with the Club Organiser, Helen, on 07852 883496, to

discuss names going down for the Club. Details here:

kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk Isobel Birse

New residents at Louie Memorial Playing Fields

If you stroll through the woods in the Lower Louie Memorial Playing

Field off Arnold’s Way, you might notice some newly constructed

houses. Don’t worry – we haven’t lost any green space to

speculative developers! These new (tiny) homes have been built for

our feathery friends.

Local bird enthusiast Clive Smith

has made ten bird boxes for the

Louie Memorial copse, at the

request of North Hinksey Parish

Council. NHPC has been

reviewing the management plan

for the playing fields through a

working group that includes local

residents with experience in

ecology and conservation. Bird

boxes were one of the working

group’s first recommendations for

encouraging wildlife to flourish in

our lovely green space. Thanks to

Clive’s quick work, the new boxes

were installed in time for the start

of the nesting season.

In mid-April I accompanied Clive

on the first check of the boxes. He’d already noticed activity at the

ones previously installed in Raleigh Park, so we were hopeful that

the birds might have discovered our new boxes too. We weren’t

disappointed – six out of ten boxes already had nests in them, with

one of them occupied when we visited! I am new to bird-box

monitoring, but to Clive’s trained eyes the nests were made by Great

Tits and Blue Tits (two species that can do well in this area). The

boxes were designed for smaller birds like these. Longer term, we

are also considering installing larger boxes for owls and bats.

The bird boxes require very little maintenance, but their presence

creates an exciting opportunity to get involved in wildlife monitoring

and conservation efforts. The British Trust for Ornithology supports

many projects to keep track of how our bird populations are doing,

including monitoring nests in gardens and woodlands

(https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nesting-neighbours).

Could you be part of North Hinksey citizen science? If you are

interested in adopting a bird box to monitor during the nesting

season, we’d love to hear from you. NHPC (with support from Clive)

can provide information and guidance – the essential elements for

successful monitoring are enthusiasm and confident use of a ladder!

Let me know on cllr.caroline.potter@gmail.com

Caroline Potter, Chair, Recreation & Amenities Committee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOTLEY IN BLOOM

FRONT!GARDEN!COMPETITION!

all!across!the!parish!during!June.!

Sponsored!by!North!Hinksey!Parish!

Council!and!organized!by!the!Sprout.

THREE!CLASSES:!

Ø BEST*FRONT*GARDEN!

Ø *BEST*CULTIVATED-WILDLIFE*FRONT*GARDEN!

Ø BEST*USE*OF*VEGETABLES*IN*A*FRONT*GARDEN!

Closing!date!June!18th.!

Judging!by!June!30th!

No!entry!form.!!!!!!!!!!Entry!by!email!to!editor@thesprout.org!!

You! can! enter! ANY!FRONT! GARDEN! in!the! parish! you!think!!!!!!!

deserves!to!be!noticed,!including!your!own.!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STOP PRESS: Botley Arts is starting up again after the long, dismal

winter! Exhibition of pictures by local photographer Miles Gomme at

St Peter & St Paul's Church, West Way from Monday May 17th.

Randoms

Lunch Club

Time on your hands? Botley Seniors Lunch Club very much

hopes to resume meeting fortnightly again – as soon as government

guidelines allow. They are looking to expand the team of volunteers

to help prepare, cook, and serve a two-course lunch to local older

people in the Seacourt Hall. If you can spare some time every other

week and would like to join the friendly team please contact Jackie

Warner on 01865 721386.

Churches open

The Churches of St. Peter and St. Paul, West Way and St.

Lawrence, North Hinksey are now both open for Sunday worship at

9.30am and 11.30am respectively. Social distancing is in place and

masks must be worn. We look forward to welcoming you back.

LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

P21/V0769/HH

4 Stanley Close. The demolition of

existing garage and the erection of a two-

storey side extension and single-storey

rear extension.

12 March

Target

Decision Date:

7 May

P21/V0791/HH

24 Crabtree Rd. Demolish existing single

storey extension, replace with full width

extension plus basement room.

15 March

TDD: 10 May

P21/V0483/HH

Stanton House Stanton Rd. Single storey

garage.

16 March

TDD: 17 May

P21/V0705/HH

38 Arthray Rd. Demolish garage, build

single storey lean-to rear extension

extended to side for house entrance.

25 March

TDD: 20 May

P21/V0710/LDP

31 Chestnut Rd. Convert hip roof to

gable roof, increasing south-facing roof

elevation for solar panels plus 3 Velux

roof lights.

29 March

TDD: 24 May

P21/V0725/HH

9 Cumnor Hill. Part demolition of front

porch structure & erection of two storey

front extension.

29 March

TDD: 24 May

Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details

to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.

1st Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Dean Court Community Centre Thur 6–7.30 Jean Metson,

firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com

2nd Botley Brownies

Girls aged 7–10

Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison

Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com

4th Oxford Scout Group

Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts

mail@thefourth.org.uk Website:

http://www.thefourth.org.uk/

15th Oxford Scout Group

Boys and girls welcome

Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, 1 Church Way,

Botley Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman

(Scouts) 07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk

Baby & Toddler Group

Tues/Thurs 9.15–11, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall

Badminton Club

Thurs 7-8pm at Matthew Arnold Sports Hall. Garry Clark

0777 3559 314 garryclark13@gmail.com

BikeSafe. B4044 community

path campaign

Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8

weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org

Books on Wheels R.V.S.

Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142

Botley Boys & Girls F.C.

Football teams from ages 8-16

Jason Barley Ox. 242926 jbarley1@sky.com or Brendan

Byrne 792531 brendan.byrne999@gmail.com

Botley Community Larder

Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West

Way, contact us via Facebook or email

botleylarder@gmail.com

Botley Health Walks

Wednesday 9.30am. Contact Briony on Ox 246497

Botley Library

01865 248142. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,

otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).

Botley Seniors Lunch Club

Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner

Ox721386

Botley Singers

Thur 7.30, St Andrew’s Church, Dean Court. Angela

Astley-Penny Ox.242189 angastpen@aol.com

Cumnor Choral Society

Rehearsals Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795

054142 or www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com

Cumnor Chess Club

Thurs 7–9pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett

862788 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk

Cumnor & District

Historical Society

Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old School.

01865 724808

Cumnor Gardening Club

http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/ or phone 01865 721026

Harmony InSpires, Ladies'

Acappella Singing Group

Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235

831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk

Hill End Volunteer Team

Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org, call

863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk

Let’s Sing! – singing group

Weds 2pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or email

emformusic@outlook.com

Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc

Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk

North Hinksey Preschool

and Childcare clubs

Mon–Fri 7.45am–6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email

nhps.manager1@gmail.com

N Hinksey Art Group

Weds 10 – 12.00 W.I. Hall Tel: Christina 07931 707997

N Hinksey Bellringers

Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451

N Hinksey Conservation

Volunteers

Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr 07798743121

voirreyc@aol.com

N Hinksey, Friends of

Annual Cricket Match & Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.

N Hinksey Parish Council

Sharon Henley, clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk

N Hinksey Youth Club

Weds at LM pavilion, Daz on 07791 212866 or see

F’book

Oxford Flood Alliance

R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035

Oxford Flower Arranging Club

4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: 01865 865259

Oxford Harmony Men's

Acappella singing group

Meets Wednesdays 7.45 pm at Seacourt Hall, Contact

pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk

Oxford Otters

Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays, twice

monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420

Oxford Rugby Club

Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com

Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.

Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis

Club, N Hinksey

Family club: Melanie Riste 848658

melanie_riste@hotmail.com

Raleigh Park, Friends of

raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk

Saturdads at

Botley Bridges

Fun activities and trips for Dads and under 5’s

10 am–noon 1st Sat of month. Tel: 243955

Seacourt Hall Management

Committee

Michael Cockman 07766 317691

michael.cockman@gmail.com.

Shotokan Karate Club

6+ WOCC twice weekly Martyn King 07836 646450

Walking for Health

2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car

park, Arnolds Way. Alan 07941 610913

West Oxford Bowls Club

Contact details on www.westoxfordbowlsclub.co.uk

West Oxford Taekwon Do Club

Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall

01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk

West Oxford U3A

(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/

West Way Day Centre

Mon & Fri 10–3pm, Field House, 07740 611971.

oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

Women’s Institute (Botley)

Liz Manson, 244175 or liz.manson@virginmedia.com

Botley Baptist Hall

West Way Place

Contact: Rev Kalyan Das

Tel. 07841 867967

The Rosary Room

Yarnells Hill, Elms Rise

Contact Maria Brown,

Tel: 01865 247986.

SS Peter & Paul Church

Hall, West Way, Botley

Contact: 07946 463741 or

osneybenefice@outlook.com.

Women's Institute Hall,

North Hinksey Lane

Contact: Val Warner

Tel. 01865 245273

Seacourt Hall, West

Way Place, Botley

Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,

or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk

Pavilion, Arnold’s Way,

Elms Rise, Botley

Contact: Darren Blase 241254

louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com

Oxford Rugby Club,

North Hinksey Village

Contact:. Mary Bagnall

mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.

North Hinksey & Botley Churches

Times of Services (once resumed) and Contacts

St. Lawrence, Church of England, North Hinksey Lane

1st, 2nd, 4th Sunday, Sung Eucharist 11.30 a.m.

3rd Sunday, Matins 11.30 am

St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, West Way

2nd Saturday each Month, 4–6pm Messy Church for children and their carers

1st Sunday of the Month, 9.30am All Age service of Holy Communion

All other Sundays, 9.30am Holy Communion with activities for children

Every Wednesday, 10.30am Holy Communion at Field House

Rev C Sykes, 01865 242345 or revclare@btinternet.com

Our Lady of the Rosary, Roman Catholic, Yarnells Hill

Saturday 6.30 pm. Mass

Sunday 9.15 am Mass

Fr Daniel Lloyd. 07584 323915 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.

Botley Baptist Church, West Way Place

Sunday Service 10.30 am.

Mid Week House Group 8.00 p.m.

Family Worship Service 5 - 6pm on Saturday

Rev K Das 07841 867967 www.botleybaptistchurch.org

Calvary Chapel

Sunday services held at Botley School 10.30–12 noon

Pastor Philip Vickery 01865 864498

calvarychapeloxford@yahoo.co.uk;

www.calvarychapeloxford.org.uk

Sprout

May 2021

2nd--8th Hedgehog Awareness Week

Thurs 6th County Council Elections,

Neighbourhood Plan referendum

8th—16th Oxford Artweeks (Botley)

Mon 10th Kennington Memory Club reopens

Mon 17th Miles Gomme’s photos in Ss P&P church

Some useful phone numbers

See North Hinksey Parish Council website for a comprehensive list

of all the local support groups currently in operation, as well as

advice on asking for help and looking to volunteer. It’s at

https://northhinksey-pc.gov.uk/covid-19-community-hub/ If you

have something to add, please email the website manager

Councillor Lorna Berrett on lberrett.nhpc@gmail.com.

Church contact details opposite.

Oxford Hub hello@oxfordhub.org 07957 105129 (9-5pm Mon-Fri)

Citizens Advice Adviceline on 0300 3309 042

Woodlands Pharmacy: 01865 242649

Lloyds Pharmacy: 01865 247023

Age UK Oxfordshire offers a new telephone support line for older

people. Leave a message on 01865 411288 and they will call back.

Nextdoor North Hinksey is a local chatroom full of help and advice.

Anyone already on it can invite you to join, or contact the Sprout

Finally, two handy Facebook pages:

The Botley Notice Board (OXON)

and Oxford Covid-19 Mutual Aid group